Mother Lode of Cookbooks #2 ~ Ruther Wakefield's Toll House and Duchess of Windsor

Both books in this entry have long been on my "wish list" and I was quite happy to find them along the many others I purchased. 


Ruth Wakefield's Toll House Tried & True Recipes, published in 1945.  This copy is the 20th printing with the original print date occurring in 1936. As most chocolate lovers know, Ruth Wakefield was the mastermind behind the first chocolate chip cookie, which she first served in 1938. She later sold the recipe to Nestle (for $1.00!!!), who then began making the Toll House chocolate chips.

The recipes are the same used in the Wakefield's restaurant, The Toll House, located in Whitman, Massachusetts. The restaurant began service in 1930 with seven tables and within a few years  they were serving between 1,000 to 2,000 people a day! The book opens with hints and tips covering table service, stain removal and first aid mixed in with the usual ingredient equivalents, using the oven and refrigerator. There are several pages of menu suggestions for everyday meals and special occasions along with photos of  meals served at the establishment.

The chocolate chip cookie recipe appears under the moniker "The Chocolate Crunch Cookie", nestled with little fanfare in the cookie section. Other dishes include 81 suggestions for hors d'ouevres and canapes, many of which are written in a narrative style instead if the usual "cookbook" manner.  Also represented are soups & chowders, bread, salads - many of the congealed variety, entrées - including a Hawaiian Chicken made with pineapple, of course!,  and various desserts both hot and frozen.  The last chapter touches on afternoon tea with an assortment of sandwich fillings.

Some Favorite Southern Recipes of The Duchess of Windsor, published in  1942. There is a forward penned by Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (AKA Eleanor) and all proceeds from the sale of the book were contributed to the British War Relief Fund. There are 140 recipes in all, ranging from appetizers, soups, fish and shellfish, meats, vegetables, breads, desserts and preserves. The fare is simple, utilizing few ingredients and most fill only half a page. Several dishes incorporate terrapins (small turtles) native to the waters of Maryland where the Duchess was raised.

Naturally there are recipes for both the Lord AND Lady Baltimore cakes. One interesting entree is a spinach filled Ravioli made with handmade pasta and topped with a tomato sauce, which upon reading seems quite easy to master. The last chapter lists a few foreign favorites of the Duchess.

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